Almost every gay person I know voted for Barac Obama.  Many of them saw him as some kind of savior.  The January edition of the ADVOCATE had in a banner over Obama's face on the cover the question, "What will he do for you first?

Actually, I think the question should have been, "What will he do for you at all?"

There are many issues that gay people are, or should be, concerned about.  Not just the issue of gay marriage.  First of all, we do not have any kind of legislated civil rights.  You can still, in many parts of this country, lose your job or be thrown out of your housing because you are gay and there is no legal recourse against it.

There is a discriminatory tax advantage given to heterosexuals who marry and produce children.  Single people, the vast majority of gays, pay a higher percentage of taxes than married couples and couples with children.  Single persons with children also pay less taxes but there are still states within the United States that do not allow gays to adopt.

Barac Obama, no matter how well intentioned, really can do nothing about these issues.  If you look at the Constitution of the United States, a document often referred to but rarely read by those referring to it, you will see quite clearly that the body that must act on all of these issues is the legislative branch of our government -- the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.  This is the body designated by the Constitution to make the rules and laws for the country.  Not the president.

This of course begs the question of what the fuck has Congress done for us.  Fucking nothing!  The same as it has done for the rest of the country.  And because there is still a sizable cadre of Republicans still in office -- enough to cause filibusters and other delaying tactics.  Because of this, I have very little hope, given the current appointments to the Supreme Court by George Bush, of much changing in the laws currently on the books in most states.  And it is those laws, particularly changes to state constitutions, which are holding back any progress in gay people receiving their full civil rights.

There is one thing that Obama can do and that is to put his support behind changes in legislation.  To make gay rights an issue his administration firmly supports.

But, the question is, will he?  Obama started out his campaign without the full support of the African-American community.  They didn't believe a black man could win the presidency.  Some even questioned how 'black' Obama was.  The African-American community still harbors tremendous prejudice against gays.  This is been shown time and time again in their voting habits.  I doubt that Obama is going to do much to alienate this base -- at least not in his first term when half his time will be spent running for his next term.

Add to the fact, that this nation is facing one of its worst economic crisis since the Depression as well as two wars in which Americans are dying daily and you can understand why the whole issue of gay rights ends up way down on the list of Obama's priorities.

Quite frankly, I don't expect our issues to become at all important to Obama until his second term (if there is one).  He might make some kind of gesture in his first term looking to obtain support from the gay community to win his second term but that's about it.  He's not going to come out in favor of gay marriage.  He may take the necessary step of pushing Congress to eliminate "Don't Ask -- Don't Tell" but let's not forget that he was this very issue which almost sank the Clinton presidency at its outset.  Obama is nothing if not a student of history -- especially political history.  He is not going to make the same program this mistake that Bill Clinton did.

 

I sat and watched Obama take the oath of office.  I cried like I never thought I would.  Deep down in my heart I just believed  that now there was a chance of the wrongs committed against every one who were on the outside of political power would be set right.  In other words -- I had hope.  I still have hope.  I have hope in A man sitting in the White House who appears to have everything that the former president had none of.  Integrity, honesty, care and concern for ordinary people, he also has one more thing that Bush did not have -- a real mandate.  Not just a mandate to govern but a mandate to change how this country is governed.  And I hope and pray that he does.

RIMPIG

There is no national protection against hate crimes committed against gay people -- a segment of criminality which is on the increase throughout the country. But a national hate crimes bill has languished in Congress for more than five years.  If it's ever going to be passed it is going to be passed because gay people rose up and flex their political muscle by warning their representatives in Congress not to count on their votes after doing nothing for them.